William didn’t talk for a few minutes as they walked back to the car, and she held his hand. She could feel his pain from saying goodbye to his son, and her heart ached for him.
“He’s an adorable boy,” she said in a gentle voice when they got back in the car.
“Thank you for being so patient with him. His mother isn’t much on manners, and he’s aware of every hoodlum she goes out with. He meets them all. She hides nothing from him, she’s very indiscreet and forgets he’s only ten. That’s why I want him in school here. It’s more wholesome for him,” he said in a voice filled with emotion.
“Thank you for saying I’m your girlfriend.”
“You’re not?” He sounded shocked.
“Happy and proud to be. I didn’t know how you would frame it for Theo.”
“At least you’re respectable. I hope you can come out to California when he’s with me. Or maybe I could bring him to New York. He might enjoy it. There’s lots for a child to do there.” Suddenly she not only had a man in her life, she had a ten-year-old boy too. It was a little startling, but she liked it. Theo was a year older than Deanna’s older daughter.
“If I’m there, I’d love to see him,” she said warmly, and they drove back to London. He had nothing else to do there, and they were on a flight to New York the next morning. William was planning to stay with her for a few days and then go back to Big Sur. She was excited about showing him the firehouse, but a little anxious about having a man stay with her. She hadn’t lived with anyone in a long time, and it was one thing being in a suite in Hong Kong on vacation, or even the Ritz in Paris while she was working, but quite another to have a man in her home, where she lived and worked. She was somewhat concerned about how that was going to play out. He could sense her tension on the flight home the next day.
“What’s up?” he asked her. She seemed distracted and wasn’t talking to him. “Worried about something?” He already knew the signs of her moods, and sometimes seemed to read her mind. He was insightful and astute, and sensitive, and not afraid of any subject with her, which she really liked. There were no taboos between them, even though he was polite. He did it in a gentle way.
“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, and then she fell asleep and he watched a movie. When she woke up, she was no chattier. She was worried about what would happen if he hated her house and thought it was ridiculous, or uncomfortable, or too small, or as ugly as Deanna said it was. What if Deanna was rude to him? She wanted to introduce them, but Deanna was unpredictable and could be icy or critical, or flat-out nasty. They weren’t on vacation anymore. This was real life, and the firehouse was a dollhouse of sorts. The rooms weren’t big. It didn’t have sweeping ocean views like his “cottage” in Big Sur. It was funny and cramped and eccentric, and she loved it. But what if he didn’t? She closed her eyes, thinking about it, and as they landed, she felt him take her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was smiling at her.
“Whatever it is you’ve got your knickers in a twist over, it’s going to be fine.” There were tears in her eyes when she smiled back at him. He was such a good man.
Chapter 16
JFK was crowded and noisy and their bags took forever to arrive in the luggage area. It had been a long day and Maddie was edging toward cranky as they waited. Then finally they had them. She was eager to get home. They found a taxi at the curb and the driver put their bags in the trunk. They’d been gone for almost two weeks in Hong Kong, Paris, and finally London, and she’d been in Shanghai for a week before that. It had been a fabulous trip and everything had gone smoothly.
They were also lovers now, which raised expectations. This was not a passing fancy or a fling or a vacation romance. And even the peripheral issues were important. If they hated each other’s homes, or cities, pets, or children, it mattered. He had told his ten-year-old son she was his girlfriend. That carried responsibility with it. They were wonderful in bed, but what if they failed at everyday life? His staying with her in New York would be their first taste of it. And she wasn’t sure how long he was staying or what that would feel like, or if she would feel crowded by his presence while she worked.
He had said he would stay a few days, and then fly back to California, but she wasn’t sure how many a “few” was. One? Two? Five? Ten? She didn’t want to be rude and ask him. What if he and Penny hated each other? She needed Penny to run her life, and Maddie had an allegiance to her. Everything seemed complicated all of a sudden. It was what she’d been worried about in the beginning. She had lived alone for years now. In fact, she hadn’t actually lived with a man since Stephane. She’d had her children, and had never let any man stay with her while they lived at home. Andy had stayed with her for a short time at their old apartment, and that had been a disaster. He had been uncomfortable and the children weren’t used to a man in their home. But now at least there were no young children in the mix.
When the cab pulled up at her address, they got out. William paid the driver and he carried the bags to the front door. Once he had deposited them, William took a step back and took a good look at the house while Maddie dug in her purse for the keys and couldn’t find them.
William was studying the bell on the outside and was staring at the details.
“It’s an amazing building, Maddie,” he said as she found the keys and opened the door, which led them directly into the huge open space with twenty-foot ceilings, previously for the fire trucks, which she now used as her studio. He was gazing up, and around, studying everything, and noticed her collection of antique fire hats from everywhere. There were some beauties, and he smiled when he saw them. “The space is fantastic,” he said, and everything he laid eyes on was pristine and freshly painted. She kept it in immaculate condition since important clients and magazine editors came there often. Then he spotted the brass fire pole and pointed at it. “Oh my God, it’s terrific! Is it still serviceable?” She smiled as she nodded. “I have to try it.” He looked like a kid as he said it. It was hard to imagine him sliding down the pole in his suit.
She showed him her office on the same floor, and Penny’s next to it. Everything looked orderly and businesslike. There were binders on shelves, floor-to-ceiling file cabinets, printers, the computer Maddie used for work, and just outside their offices the narrow circular metal staircase Deanna objected to so vehemently. He was fascinated by all of it. He followed her up the staircase to the living room and kitchen, and then another floor to her bedroom and sitting room, and finally the three cozy, empty guest rooms on the top floor. It had everything she needed. She had no idea how it would look to him, but she wanted him to love it, and took him to all four floors.
His eyes were shining with delight as he took it all in, and suddenly he understood. “Is this what you were worried about?”
“Part of it,” she admitted. “I love this place, and I’d be sad if you hated it.”
“How could I hate it? It’s magnificent. It’s every boy’s dream. You’re the only woman I’ve ever known with her own firehouse. Wait until Theo sees it!” And then he glanced around, as though searching for something. “Where does the pole start from?”
“There’s an access on every floor.” She had had cabinets built to conceal it, so no one would fall down the space around it. They were on the top floor when he asked her, and she pulled open the doors and showed him.
“Thank you, my love,” he said, kissed her, reached out with one arm, wrapped his legs around the pole and sped downwards as she watched in amazement, and heard him squeal with glee, and the thump when he landed on the rubber mats in the studio.
“Are you okay?” she shouted down.
“Perfect!” he yelled back, and she met him as she headed down the stairs, and he walked into her bedroom, found the right doors, and did it again, as she laughed at him. He went down six times in all, from every floor, and met her in the kitchen to declare it the coolest hous
e he’d ever been in. Andy had only known her uptown apartment, which had made him acutely uncomfortable and was too serious and conservative for him. She had bought the firehouse two years after they split up. William was like a kid at Christmas when he found her. Penny had left them some chicken and a salad to eat when they got home. He was in love with the fireman’s pole and the whole house. And he’d had an idea while she was giving him the tour.
“Would it be possible to use one of the upstairs guest rooms to do some writing?” It was away from everyone and quiet, the kind of space he needed to work in if he was going to spend time with her in New York, and he had some editing to catch up on.
“Of course. No one ever goes up there. They were for my kids, who never used them. I’ve always lived here alone.”
“Not anymore, my darling. Whenever you want company, just call and I’ll come running. And I’d much rather use the pole than the stairs.” She laughed as she listened to him. He was like a kid at an amusement park. She set dinner out for them, and they ate while he sang the house’s praises to her. “This place is so much fun. No wonder you were panicked about your daughter wanting you to sell it. You can’t possibly give up this house if you live to be a hundred.”
“She hates it. It’s not chic enough for her.”
“I think it’s incredibly chic. I wanted to try on all the helmets as soon as I saw them. Your clients must love it here.”
“They do, and so do I,” she said with a sigh of relief. She didn’t dare ask him how long he was staying and risk seeming inhospitable. But she had three shoots in the coming week, and she could suddenly envision him sliding down the pole in the middle of them. It was going to be an art sharing the house with him. But at least he loved it. It was a major hurdle overcome, and one less worry, a big one.
He helped her tidy the kitchen after dinner, and they went upstairs and showered together. No more luxurious huge bathtub in the Hong Kong suite at the Peninsula, but her shower was big enough for both of them, and afterwards they climbed into bed and made love with all the passion and thrill they had shared in Paris, Hong Kong, and London. Now they had made the firehouse theirs too. It was a brave new world for both of them.
* * *
—
Maddie started work with Penny at eight the next morning and they were going through files and plans when William made his way down the stairs with a mug of tea and smiled in at them. Penny gave a start and stared at him. He was even better-looking than she had imagined from Maddie’s description of him and the pictures she’d taken. He was younger and sexier in real life, with a killer smile. Maddie had mostly said he was nice and extremely intelligent. She had forgotten to say he was a hunk with a fantastic body and great face. He looked like he went to the gym in California and stayed in shape.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said to both of them, and Maddie introduced him to Penny. He chatted with her for a few minutes and then went upstairs again, to set up his computer in one of the guest bedrooms.
He reappeared at lunchtime, via the fire pole, which shocked Penny, and he asked Maddie if she wanted to go for a walk in the neighborhood and get some lunch. He compared it to Notting Hill in London, with lots of little shops and small restaurants. They went to a nearby deli and had sandwiches, and Maddie told him she wanted to introduce him to Deanna and David.
“Is that wise?” he asked her. “She won’t give you a hard time? Daughters don’t always like their mothers having boyfriends.” Particularly women like Deanna. He could already tell she was jealous of her mother from what Maddie had told him.
“She might react, but you have to meet her sometime. And she’s being careful with me right now. She outdid herself when I broke my ankle, so she’s on her best behavior.”
“Why don’t we take them out to dinner? She might be better in a restaurant. What’s her favorite restaurant or food?”
Maddie was touched by the thought he put into it. “Anything French or sushi. David is easy, he doesn’t care.”
“I’m not worried about him. Blokes usually like me. Your daughter might not.”
“She’d have to be very stupid not to.” Maddie couldn’t think of a single thing about him that Deanna might object to. He was successful, civilized, good-looking, from a good family, well-educated, and nice to her. A home run.
Maddie called her after lunch, and Deanna said they were busy every night for the next week.
“That’s too bad. I have a friend here from California, a writer. I thought you and David might like to meet him.” There was a pause at the other end while Deanna reconsidered.
“Actually, our plans are soft for tomorrow night. I can switch something,” she said hesitantly.
“That’s wonderful! Le Bernardin?” It was one of the best French restaurants in New York. It served mostly fish. “How about seven-thirty?” Deanna didn’t like late nights. She went to the gym at six every morning, and looked it. She had a beautifully toned body.
Maddie called the restaurant and was able to get a table at the time she wanted. Then she told William, and thanked him for the idea.
“Now we just have to hope she doesn’t hate me.”
“She won’t,” she reassured him and kissed him, and then she went back downstairs to her office. It was actually nice having him there, and he wasn’t interfering. If anything, he was helping her with Deanna. She wanted them to meet and for it to go well. And if possible, she wanted to introduce them on this trip, so he wouldn’t be a secret anymore. Trying to hide him would only blow up in her face later. William’s idea to meet over dinner seemed like a good plan. But she was nervous about it.
William could sense how tense she was in the cab on the way to the restaurant the next evening. She hadn’t seen him all day. He’d been upstairs writing. He was a singularly easy guest. He took care of himself, stayed out of her way, and let her work. They got together at night for dinner and passionate lovemaking. It was working well.
Maddie and William were the first to arrive at the restaurant. It was early and the headwaiter gave them one of the best tables. Deanna knew about those things and would like that. She loved going to good restaurants, David just liked going out.
They had just ordered a glass of wine when Deanna and David walked in. He was wearing a suit without a tie, and Deanna was wearing a very chic black dress she had designed herself, with her usual tight hairdo, and a heavy gold bangle and earrings. As always, her outfit was perfect and she looked great.
As they approached the table, Maddie noticed Deanna looking startled when she saw William. By the time they got to the table, her lips were a thin line. Somehow, she had gotten the impression that they were helping to entertain an elderly author, not a handsome man who looked like he was on a date with her mother. All of a sudden, Deanna’s antenna was up. David seemed comfortable and relaxed, in anticipation of a good dinner.
William stood up politely, and Maddie introduced them. They all sat down, and the headwaiter asked if they wanted an aperitif. Deanna declined, and David ordered red wine, like William.
“So you’re from California,” David said conversationally, he hadn’t heard the English accent yet. “L.A.?”
“Actually, I live in Big Sur. It’s a bit gloomy at times, but it’s peaceful.”
“What brings you to New York?” The banter continued between the two men, while Deanna glanced questioningly at her mother. Maddie was innocence itself. She could play the game too.
“I’m on my way through from London.”
David was staring at him by then as though trying to remember something, and suddenly looked as though he’d been struck by lightning.
“Oh my God, William Smith. The biographer?” William nodded with a warm smile and squeezed Maddie’s knee under the table to give her courage. “I’ve been trying to buy your books for the United States for our publishing house fo
r years. Someone always outbids me. But I haven’t given up yet. What a pleasure to meet you. I love your work.” Deanna looked slightly less like an ice sculpture when she saw how excited her husband was about William. He turned to Deanna then and explained that William had written some of the best, prize-winning biographies of the last fifty years, some truly important ones.
Things started to relax little by little after that. The wine helped, and the excellent food once they ordered. William told countless funny stories. David was trying desperately to woo him, so Deanna didn’t dare be too unpleasant to him, but she was chilly nonetheless.
“How do you two know each other?” Deanna asked suspiciously halfway through dinner, as though her mother were famous for picking up strange men on the street.
“She photographed me recently for my next book,” William filled in smoothly, and they both remembered the photographs she’d taken of him at his cottage. “I’ve wanted her to do my author photo for years.” Deanna calmed down then visibly, but she still had an odd feeling about them. They seemed too friendly and too comfortable with each other, which wasn’t usually Maddie’s style. But William carried it off to perfection. He disappeared discreetly at one point to pay the check, without Maddie knowing he was doing it, and Deanna took the opportunity to hiss across the table at her mother.
“Are you dating him?”
“Why? Don’t you like him? Actually, we’re friends, he’s good company. We’re both divorced. He’s intelligent and successful. I wouldn’t see a problem with it if I were dating him, would you?” she asked directly.
“Of course not,” David answered for her immediately, ready to pimp out his mother-in-law if it got him William Smith as one of their authors. Deanna looked daggers at her husband.
“I thought you didn’t date anymore. Aren’t you too old for that?” Deanna said, more like herself than the recent version.
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